A 55MW methane gas power project was inaugurated in Rubavu District on Thursday with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Eng. Patrice Uwase, commending the main project sponsor for the initiative. According to the Ministry, it is a public–private partnership project between the government and Shema Power Lake Kivu Limited (SPLK ltd) for the concession of 25 years. Uwase, Lord Irvine Laidlaw, the President of SPLK ltd, and other officials officiated at the inauguration ceremony to kick start construction works. The project, government officials said, comes at the right time when Rwanda is set to achieve the strategic objectives of the Social Transformation Pillar of Government of Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) by 2024. Uwase said: “This project is a synergy with other strategic projects that Rwanda has invested in and is expected to bring more energy to the national grid, and increase our installed capacity which currently stand at 224.5 MW to the projected 556 MW by 2024 given the time it takes for power plants to mature.” One of the strategic objectives of the Social Transformation Pillar of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) is to reduce the cost of doing business and facilitate trade by implementing key projects including scale up electricity generation and improve quality, affordability and reliability power. Energy is one of the stimulators of the economic development of the country, Uwase noted, and the government is continuously facilitating investments in the energy sector with a goal of achieving universal access by the year 2024. Jobs She added: “The project will also create many jobs and capacity building for Rwandans during project implementation after completion. These jobs will directly impact positively the livelihood of the Rubavu District, especially to Nyamyumba sector residents.” Uwase told the project implementers that they must preserve the environment and the wellbeing of the population adjacent to the site and beyond by reducing emissions and ensuring proper operating procedures. Construction works commenced immediately considering that other preparatory steps including finalising and signing of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) were already concluded. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
